50 Things Every Woman Should Realize About Men
by I'mWickedThroughAndThrough
Summary: Pure Fiyeraba. I found an article online called "50 Things Every Woman Should Know About Men," and decided to write a Fiyeraba fic about it. Each chapter is one of the 50 things. T/M. Current chapter: You Have to Let Shit Go. My first Wicked Fic! Give it a read!
1. Stay Away from His Internet History

**Hi! I'm new to writing Wicked fanfiction but I am insanely excited to have started! So being that this is my first Wicked fic, I hope you enjoy!**

**Secondly, I found this article online called "50 Things Every Woman Should Realize About Men," and thought it would be interesting to write a Fiyeraba fic based on it. So each chapter will be one of the 50 things. This will be in the T-M section. If it is an M chapter, I will make note of that at the beginning of the chapter. Each story is independent of one another, so you can simply skip and chapters you're uncomfortable reading.**

**This one is mostly T, there is some mild nudity at the end. It involves the concept of watching porn, and the end in somewhat in the M category. **

**Ok, so now that we've gotten all the technicalities out of the way, read on!**

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**You Gotta Stay Away From His Internet Search History**

Elphaba trusted Fiyero. She did. She really did.

That didn't mean her interest wasn't piqued when he left his laptop open one day.

She always felt Fiyero was spending an unhealthy amount of time on his new computer. She could not imagine what one could possibly want with a contraption like that for so long. She would much rather be curled up with a book than with a laptop.

Her husband begged to differ.

She knew it was wrong, and most certainly an invasion of his privacy, but she just couldn't help perusing his internet search history to see what he had been up to.

At an initial glance, he had last been reading an article about politics in the Vinkus. She remembered him scoffing at how the reporter had not a clue what he was talking about, before realizing he actually had a meeting to be at and dashed off, kissing her softly on the cheek on his way out.

Another tab was open to a video called "Best of Funny Cats." She snorted. Fiyero wouldn't admit it to anyone but her, but he loved cats. He was always calling her over to watch a cat bark like a dog or something. This one was over ten minutes long. She rolled her eyes, silently thinking, _I married a nine year old. _

Since nothing interesting was open right in his browser, she decided to dig a little deeper and see what else he had been searching.

She wasn't prepared for what she found.

Pornhub.

XXX Girls.

Lesbea.

_Lesbea? _

Elphaba jerked away from the computer, trying to control her anger. So _this _is what he has been doing, spending all his time on the internet? Watching _porn?_

Intellectually, she knew it was something all guys do. And she knew she shouldn't take it personally. But she most certainly did. What was he getting from these videos that he wasn't getting from her? Was she not enough for him?

_Stop it, _she chided herself. _Fiyero loves you, and you damn well know that. _

The ethical side of her brain decided to chime in, _And you're the one wanted to search through his history! He never meant for you to find out!_

That indeed was true. This was all her fault. If she hadn't been a snoop, she wouldn't have found out about this, and she could continue living her normal life with her husband...

But now the cogs in her head were turning, and in less than a clock-tick she had opened one of the videos. Perhaps she could use this information to her advantage. She could see what was getting him excited, and then prove to him that she was the only thing he needed.

Being as studious as she was, she quickly got to studying...

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"Honey, I'm home!" Fiyero called jokingly, dropping his bag on the couch. Seeing and hearing no one, he called out again, "Fae?"

"In here," he heard her reply. It sounded like it was coming from their bedroom, and it sounded sultry. A bulge immediately formed in his pants.

Who was he to deny the woman he loved if she felt like being sultry? Especially for _him? _

He quickly stumbled over to their bedroom, desperately needing to see her.

And oh, did he see her.

She was on their bed, not wearing a stitch, touching herself.

Fiyero simply stood there watching her, slack-jawed, and rooted to the floor.

"Like what you see?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at him, followed by a perfectly timed moan from her own ministrations.

He growled and stormed over to her, quickly removing his shirt in the process. "The only one who should make you moan like that is me," he said, asserting his dominance by crawling on top of her and capturing her lips with his.

"Glad you decided to join me," she whispered between kisses, easily undoing the button and zipper on his pants, revealing him to her.

No more words were spoken. The only sounds that filled the air were moans and shallow breathing, and after all was done, sweaty and satiated and curled in one another's arms, Elphaba knew for certain that she was all he needed.

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**Thoughts? Love it? Hate it? Drop a line for my first Wicked fic!**


	2. You Can't Change Him

**Voila! The next segment in this story. Sorry it took so long, I lacked inspiration for a moment there. But tumblr resurrected me. **

**This chapter is rated T, well, it it probably K+... no sexual themes at all. So all is well in this one. **

**Enjoy!**

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**You Can't Change Him**

I laughed, looking at his picture. "Oh jeez, that guy was such a tool."

"Fiyero, Avaric was your best friend at the time."

"I know, but now... I just don't even understand how we could have been friends."

"Well that's easy. You were a tool too."

At that, I spit out my coffee, effectively covering the old Shiz yearbook in the brown liquid. Elphaba just giggled at the expression on my face. "Elphie!"

"Fiyero, it's true. You were ridiculous. You always had to make a scene."

"I did not-"

"Don't lie to me," she told me with a sly smile. "You loved the attention. Still to this day I do not understand what caused you to go from being a useless playboy to the respectable man I married."

Jeez, did my wife have a way with words.

I put down the yearbook and approached her. I took her hands in mine, and gently ran my finger over her wedding band. "Elphie, I changed because of you."

"That's impossible," she told me, casting her gaze to the floor. "You can't change people."

I considered this. "Well, it's not so much that _you_ changed _me_, but_ I_ changed for _you_."

"What in Oz are you talking about?"

I sighed, trying to find the best way to explain this to her. "When we first met..."

"I hated you," she supplied.

"That's all well and good," I told her, kissing her nose, making her wrinkle it in that adorable way that I love. "Because I hated you too."

"Excuse me?"

"I hated you. I hated you for your superior attitude-"

"I did NOT-"

"Do you ever let anyone else talk?" I asked her, gently ribbing her for one of our first conversations so long ago.

"No, sorry," she replied sheepishly.

"But mostly, I hated you for being right."

"Right?"

"About me. I was superficial and shallow. I only cared about myself and what others thought of me."

"Until..." she prompted

"Until that night with the Lion cub."

"I don't think I'm following."

"If you stop talking, and let me finish, perhaps you would."

"Don't you dare to speak to me that way, Fiyero Tiggular!" She was only teasing, but the venomous look hidden behind the twinkle in her eye made me take a step back.

"Sorry, Fae," I apologized.

She looked at me sternly for a moment, then softened. "Go on."

"For a long time after that night, I wondered why you hexed everyone else in our class, but not me. That night, I realized I felt something for you beyond just friendship, but I couldn't quite place it. And certainly there was no way you felt the same about me. I was sure of it." For once, she didn't say anything more, just stared at me expectantly, so I continued. "But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that you must've felt something. Because why else would you have chosen me to help you that day? And I knew your powers weren't perfect, and they sometimes did things even you didn't understand, but that must've meant _something." _

"I realized that day that there was more to me than my dancing through life philosophy. Honestly, I used that as a way to distract myself from my own disappointment in myself. I had failed out of countless universities, had no true friends, and was by all accounts, a selfish ass."

"Fiyero-"

"Elphie, you really have no idea how much that day changed me. I can't even properly explain it to myself, let alone to you. What I do know is that it made me see what a better person I could be, if I just tried a little harder. I tried to be a better person for you, to be deserving of someone like _you." _

She was beginning to tear up. For someone who was so obviously strong, powerful, and resilient, she did have her moments. "But you had Galinda. Excuse me, Glinda."

"I did, but she was just as shallow as I was, if not more so. Along with realizing I could _be_ more, I realized I also _wanted_ more. You were, and still are, more. And I spend every day trying to remain deserving of you."

Now she was in full blown hysterics, crying fat, wet tears. I pulled her into my chest, and held her tight. It was hard to hear her, as her head was buried in my chest, and she was still crying, but I was still able to understand her words. She is my wife, after all. "It is I who don't deserve you, Fiyero. You are more than a lonely green girl like me could've ever asked for. You've been amazing and wonderful and perfect, and I love you more than you could ever know."

I pulled her chin up so that she would look at me, and kissed her, trying to show her just how much I loved her. I may not have known it at the time, but I always had loved her, and I certainly always will.

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	3. He Checks Out Other Women

**Hey, guys. Sorry this took so long. Months, to be exact. I was just SO TOTALLY STUCK on this one. But tonight, I finally had the inspiration to write it. I'm not sure how, but when the writing bug strikes it must be obeyed! **

**I feel bad that Fiyero is always in the dog house, but this is sort of a spoof of men's bad habits! Maybe when this one's done I'll do one about women where Elphie's on a psychotic hormonal rampage or something XD**

**So here's this one. I hope you enjoy!**

**NOTE: I wrote this with the intent that they weren't married yet.**

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**Don't Take it Personally When He Checks Out Other Women**

"Fiyero, could you close your mouth please? You'll catch flies."

Fiyero quickly snapped his lips shut. "Sorry, dear."

"Must this happen every time we go out?" she asked, releasing his hand that she had been holding and looking crossly at him, folding her arms across her chest.

"I can't help it, Fae, it just happens!" he whined, defending himself. He didn't mean to gawk (Elphaba's word of choice) at other women, but like he said, it just happens. "Honestly, Elphie, you know I have eyes only for you."

"Then why are your eyes always trained on other women?"

"They are not-"

"I see you giving other girls the once over all the time. Sometimes even more than once."

Busted. He blushed an awful shade of red, then exclaimed, "Well it's not my fault they're pretty!"

He immediately regretted those words even as they were coming out of his mouth. He saw the look in Elphaba's eyes, the one she got right before she was about to cry, and knew that he had really messed up this time.

Her voice was suddenly small, after being so accusatory just moments ago. "Do you not find me pretty anymore?" she asked, her eyes trained on her feet.

"Elphaba! of course-"

"You told me I was beautiful just yesterday, when we were making love..." one small tear escaped the pool in her eyes, and she angrily wiped it away.

"Elphaba!" He grabbed her shoulders, and shook her a bit. "Oh, sweetheart, please don't cry. I'm being an ass." He pulled her to him and held her close, rocking her a bit. "Elphaba, I love you," he whispered into her ear, kissing her forehead.

"Even though I'm green?"

"Especially because you're green," he told her.

"Can we go home please?" she asked, her voice muffled from being against Fiyero's chest. "I hate crying in public."

He chuckled slightly. "You hate crying in general." Then, after a short pause, he added, "And you hate the public, too."

She actually laughed a little. "There, there's the smile I love to see," he told her. "Of course we can go home, love."

They walked home for a short while in silence, when Elphaba piped up, "And you're gonna cook dinner for us to make up for being an ass?"

"And I'll cook dinner to make up for being an ass," he conceded.

"My favorite?"

"Green Bean Portobello Saute it is."

As they continued to stroll home, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"Have I ever told you how much I don't deserve you?"

"Yes. Many times. But you may continue to bestow your praises upon me."

He laughed out loud. "See? That. That right there. That is why I love you."

He swept her up in his arms and kissed her, and almost all anger she had felt towards him earlier had dissipated.

But if he thought this kiss was enough to make her forget about dinner, he had another thing coming.

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**Ok, this seemed kinda out of character to me as I was writing it. Elphaba was having some crazy mood swings. But I couldn't resist, Fiyeraba is just so cute, they take on a life of their own! So please forgive me. Review?**


	4. He Will Choose His Friends Over You

**First off, Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate! **

**Ok, this was another hard one. But hopefully I've figured it out. I'm sorry I haven't posted in a long while. This one had me really stuck. Then BOOM. Not only does one idea hit me, but two. I may end up posting both, I'll see. But in the meantime this is the one my best friend decided would be best. No matter how difficult it is, I am determined to see this story through to the end, so PLEASE do not give up on me!**

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**He Will Choose His Friends Over You**

"Fiyero!" she cried, rubbing the back of her head gingerly and whirling around to glare at him. As soon as she turned around, she saw his head whip back behind the couch, and heard the giggling of her husband and two of their children, much to her chagrin.

This must be at least the third time this week. The three troublemakers were hiding behind the sofa, the loveseat, the desk- anything that they could fit behind- and shooting her with their Nerf guns. How on earth did Fiyero convince her that Nerf guns were acceptable toys for their eight year old and their six year old? _Silly Elphaba, _her brain chided her, _Don't you remember? You said no, he said "Maybe this will change your mind," and before long, he could have had you saying yes to anything, with the way you trembled and moaned beneath him... _She rolled her eyes in true Elphaba fashion, cursing the control he had over her when- _Ahem- _the kids weren't around. At least their youngest was still too small to join the gang conspiring against her.

"I swear, Fiyero, if you shoot me with that damn thing one more time-"

"Mommy said a bad word!" she heard Aloura cry from behind the couch.

"Yea, Fae, watch your language. There are children in the house," Fiyero taunted her.

"Children that YOU, my dear husband, have turned against me," she snorted.

"All's fair in love and war," he replied curtly, still hiding behind the couch. "Aloura, how do you think we should punish mommy for using a bad word?"

There was silence for a few moments, as Elphaba, bemused rather than angry, awaited her sentencing. "GET HER!" Aloura cried, and all at once, Fiyero, Aloura, and her younger sister Azriel popped up from behind the couch, and opened fire.

"Two can play at that game!" Elphaba retorted, and with a flick of her hand, she casually conjured a force field that returned their fire back at them.

"Eek!" the two little girls screamed, ducking back behind the couch. "Cease fire!" Aloura cried, clearly the ringleader of the trio.

Suddenly, Elphaba heard a resounding wail from upstairs. "See?" she asked Fiyero, frustrated with her husband. "Now all this commotion has woken Kallian! I JUST got him to sleep!" With that, she stalked up the stairs to address the cries of their two year old son.

"Girls, Daddy has to go help mommy with your brother. Play amongst yourselves for a while," Fiyero told them. After a moment he added, "And try not to break anything, that will only make mommy more upset." The girls nodded in agreement, and Aloura scurried away from her sister ad behind another piece of furniture, crying, "You'll never catch me!" as Fiyero followed his wife up the stairs.

When he got to the doorway of the nursery, he saw his wife already had Kallian in her arms, and was trying to rock him back to sleep. "Shhh, my sweet boy," she cooed, trying to calm the little boy in her arms, to no avail. He had lungs like his father.

"Mind if I try?" Fiyero interrupted, at which she turned and glared at him.

"This is your fault, after all," she told him, handing their toddler to him.

"My fault?" he questioned lightly. "The girls were involved too!"

"Because _someone _suggested that it would be fun to attack mommy with Nerf guns," she hissed, seething.

"It's fun having little people that will do whatever I say," he commented, poking his tongue out at her as he rocked his son.

"Those little people are our _children,_ Fiyero, and you should not be turning them against me, especially not at this age."

"Come on Fae, it's just some innocent fun. You know what they say, you can't try to keep a man away from his friends. He'll rebel."

"Sometimes, you can't be their friend, Fiyero. You have to be their father. And that means being an _adult."_

"You weren't questioning my adulthood in the bedroom last night," he retorted.

"In front of our son is NOT the place for a comment like that!" she hissed.

"He's already asleep Fae, see?" he said, and true, the boy was silent. He gently placed the boy back into his crib and tucked him in. He walked over to his wife, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You're not really mad at me about the guns, or waking Kal, or the comment. What's really going on?" he prompted her gently.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, rested her head on his chest and sighed. "I hate to say this, but I think these hormones are getting to me," she said weakly, referring to the hormones that had begun to control her since they found out she was once again expecting. "I'm jealous of all the time you're spending with the kids, and not with me."

"To be fair, Fae," he told her softly, "You've been on bed rest for the last month. Someone had to entertain them, or they'd simply run amok."

"I know. I guess... I guess I just miss having some time to ourselves. Having a moment where there wasn't a little one racing about our feet, in need of immediate attention. I miss having the time we had before the kids were born. Sometimes, I'm jealous that I no longer have you all to myself, especially after how long we were apart..."

"Shhhh," he calmed her, hugging her to him. "We'll plan a date night. We'll leave the kids with my mom for a night, or a weekend, and have some alone time. Just us. How does that sound?"

"You don't think Kal is too young to leave alone overnight?" she asked, worried about leaving her baby with his parents.

"If my mom could handle me- and believe me I was a handful as a child- then I think she candle handle Kal and the girls for a few nights. Besides, I want us to do this before the new baby arrives. I think we need it, and you won't be able to part with the baby once she's born."

"True," Elphaba conceded, placing a hand on her five-months-along belly. Fiyero gently placed his hand on top of hers.

"I love you," he told her.

"I love you too, Yero my hero," she responded, kissing him gently.

Together, hand in hand, they leisurely went back downstairs to assess the damage their daughters had caused in their absence.

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**I'm incredibly unsure about this one. I sorta like it, but it felt so weird to write. I don't know. I hope you liked it. Let me know what you thought. Review please! I need it on this one!**


	5. Never Criticize His Mother

**Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! Or Merry Lurlinemas, to those who prefer the Ozian holiday. It seems that I only update on the holidays, which makes sense since it's one of the few days I get off of work. Anywho, here's the next chapter. I hope you like it. I was much more certain about the beginning of this chapter than the end. I don't know. If you care to, please review! It'd make my Christmas!**

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**Never Criticize his Mother**

"Thanks for watching the kids, mom. I hope they weren't much trouble."

"Of course not, Fiyero dear! They are always a delight," Miranora Tiggular, Queen of the Vinkus, responded to her son.

"How did dad hold up?" he asked, lifting Azrielle into his arms.

"Oh, don't worry about that old coot. He's always pretended that he is above adoring children because he's a king." She scoffed at the ridiculousness of her husband, who was always saying that he disliked children. "But I think these little ones have him wrapped around their finger even more than you did!"

He chuckled. "That's good to hear. Where is he anyway?"

"Sleeping. I think these little darlings tuckered him out," she answered.

"Poor dad."

"Thanks again, Miranora, for watching the kids this weekend."

"Mrs. Tiggular," she corrected sternly. "And it's always a pleasure dear. I love spending time with my son's children."

Elphaba gritted her teeth, and hugged Kallian closer, who was sleeping soundly on her shoulder. Really, after ten years of marriage, and three kids, and soon a fourth, Fiyero's mother still did not like her? And Elphaba did not miss her mother-in-law's reference to _her son's children. _Aloura, Azrielle, and Kallian were her children too, dammit! _She _was the one who carried each of them for nine months! Suffered through months of morning sickness and aching bones carrying Fiyero's children!

Fiyero was idly chatting with his mother as Elphaba stewed. "Fiyero," she called out, feigning weakness. "I suddenly feel ill. Can we go?"

Fiyero immediately rushed to his pregnant wife's side, putting Azrielle down and taking Kallian from her. "Whatever you need, my love."

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They politely thanked his mother again for watching the children while they had the personal weekend he promised her. Without wasting any more time, Fiyero loaded his family into a carriage, and set off to their family home.

After Fiyero and Elphaba tucked the children into bed, Elphaba collapsed on the couch, exhausted. She couldn't stop thinking about the way Fiyero's mother treated her.

"Fae, what's wrong?"

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong," Elphaba replied in her true biting, sarcastic nature.

"Elphaba..."

"I know, I know. You're going to tell me 'That's just her way,' or 'she doesn't mean anything by it,' but Fiyero, what am I supposed to think when she treats me like I am not part of this family! As if I didn't help in the making of '_her son's precious children!_'"

"Fae, I know you're upset, just-"

"Just what?!" She exploded. "Don't you dare tell me to calm down! I will not calm down! The gall of her! Treating you as if you are a G-d that can do no wrong, and that I am a servant girl you were foolish enough to marry! I've spent enough of my life being treated like a slave, and I will not stand it from my own husband's mother! I won't!"

"Elphaba, I'm sure she doesn't mean anything by it-"

"MEAN ANYTHING BY IT!?" Elphaba was on her feet, pacing around the room in a tizzy. "Fiyero, she treats me as if I am nothing more than a child-bearer! We've been married for ten years, Fiyero- TEN!- and she still insists I call her Mrs. Tiggular. _I _am Mrs. Tiggular now! She can be so vile, and insufferable, and-"

"Now wait just a clock tick," Fiyero interceded angrily, rising to his feet and cutting Elphaba off for once. "My mother is a good woman. She carried me for nine months through a harsh Vinkun winter and a war. She raised me alone for a number of years, until my father returned from said war. She raised two other children, and was ruler of the Vinkus for a long time in my father's absence. She made me the man I am today. And no matter how she treats you, I _do not _want to hear you call her names! And I _will not _put up with it!"

Elphaba shrunk back, stung. She thought Fiyero would take her side. She was his wife, she was pregnant no less, and she thought he would understand how awful his mother made her feel.

"Fiyero, I-"

It was unlike Fiyero to interrupt. It was usually Elphaba's job to do all the interrupting. But this time, he just couldn't help himself. "You know, when we first started dating, I noticed a lot of qualities in you that my mother had. It's part of why I fell in love with you."

"Me? What on earth could I possibly have in common with your mother?"

"You're compassionate, and passionate about it. Always trying to help people, or, in your case, Animals. My mother always insists that we consult the Vinkun people before making any decrees or anything of the sort. Despite having supreme rule, she made sure that we always were doing what is right for the people who trust us, and not just for ourselves."

"I never realized..."

"You're both hardheaded and stubborn, but it also speaks to your determination. Once you set your mind to something, you make it happen. You can be a pain in my side because of it, both of you, but it makes me love you just a little bit more."

"And you're both the most amazing mothers I've ever witnessed. Yes, my mother's parenting is a bit different from yours, but either way, you both love your children more than anything, and would do anything for them. I saw so much of my mom in you when we were dating... I just knew you'd make an incredible mother. And I was right."

She blushed, and gently placed a hand on her pregnant belly. Fiyero softened and went to her, gently pulling her to sit on the couch with him. "Fae, I love you. But I love my mom, too. Everything I told you is true. Maybe, try to relate to her in some of the ways I mentioned? Maybe you'll be able to get along better."

"I guess you're right, Fiyero. I can try."

"Good. I never thought I'd see the day when you admitted that I'm right."

"Don't get used to it," she warned him jokingly.

"I promise, I won't," he replied, kissing her cheek.

"I'm willing to try and make peace, if she is. Could you talk to her? Just so she'll hear me out?"

"Of course, dear. But for now, let's just get some rest. The kids are asleep, we should be too."

He helped her up from the couch, and up to their bedroom. "I'm pregnant, not fragile, Fiyero," she told him, sternly but with a teasing tone in her voice.

"I know, you just know that I worry."

After the two were in bed, curled up together as close as they could be with her belly between them, Elphaba piped up. "Fiyero?"

"Yes, love?"

"I'm sorry about calling your mom names."

"It's okay, Fae. Sleep. We'll worry about it tomorrow."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

And with that, all thoughts of Fiyero's mother were forgotten. Their only concern was their children and being wrapped in each other's arms.

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**Reviews make great Lurlinemas gifts! **


	6. You Have to Let Shit Go

**Wow, has it been a long time! I'm so sorry I haven't updated this in...wow. Exactly a year. Guess I only have time to write on Holidays! Thanks to any and all of you that stuck with me!**

**So, without further ado, Chapter 6: You Have to Let Shit Go.**

"You'll have a lot of fights over the course of the relationship, but when they're over, they really need to be over. Throwing old arguments back in his face will lead to loss of trust and ultimately change how he feels about you."

"You mean like the time you almost ran me over with your cart!?"

"LURLINE, ELPHABA!" Fiyero yelled, finally having had enough. To no one's surprise, Elphaba and Fiyero were fighting again. This seemed like their 100th fight this month, and Fiyero wasn't even sure what they were arguing about anymore. But what he did know was that he was sick of her bringing this up time and time again. "I'm going out for some air," he huffed angrily, grabbing his coat.

"You can't just WALK OUT on me, Fiyero!" she yelled.

"Watch me," he spat, and with that he walked out the front door, slamming it behind him.

Elphaba stared at the door in astonishment for a few moments, before collapsing on the couch and sobbing into her hands.

"Never fear, Elphie, Glinda is here!" said the bubbly blonde as she burst through Elphaba's front door, running to her best friend and hugging her tightly.

"How did you know something was wrong?" Elphaba asked, vaguely aware that she hadn't called Glinda and requested her assistance.

"Elphie, I'm your best friend. I know these things." Elphaba looked at her skeptically. "Okay, okay- Aloura may have called me because she heard you crying and didn't know where Fiyero was."

"Fiyero..."

"She said she heard yelling..."

"Damn, not only have I scared off Fiyero, but I've scared my own children..." she sobbed.

"Elphie, tell me what happened. From the beginning," Glinda demanded.

Elphaba sighed. "Fiyero was supposed to watching the kids today. I had a meeting with the Animal Council about that new library they want to build in the Gillikin..."

"And?"

"And when I came home, there was a hole between the kitchen and the wash room."

"A hole?" Glinda asked, confused.

"Indeed, a hole. Azriel is just starting to develop her powers, she doesn't have it quite under control yet."

"Ooh, that must be so exciting for her!" Glinda squealed. Elphaba shot her a glare, and Glinda quickly sobered again. "Sorry. So how does Fiyero play into all this?"

Elphaba continued. "When I came home, Fiyero didn't even _know _Azriel had made a hole in the kitchen. He had been sleeping. He was supposed to be WATCHING them! They're just children!"

She paused. "And when I confronted him about it? His excuse was, 'I guess I wasn't paying attention.' Fancy, Fiyero not paying attention! One of the kids could have been KILLED!"

"Shh, Elphaba, calm down. We don't want to worry the kids anymore, do we?"

"No..." she said, deflated, again worrying that she had scared her children, when it really wasn't their fault.

"So what caused him to storm out?" Glinda prompted gently.

"When he said he wasn't paying attention, it just made me so angry- I said, 'Like the time you almost ran me over with your cart?' and that's when he left."

"Elphaba, I know I'm not the best at relationships, but can I make a suggestion?"

"Shoot." Elphaba scoffed. "You dated him too, maybe you know more than I do."

Glinda took a deep breath, knowing full well that Elphaba was not going to like what she had to say. "Stop bringing up the carriage thing."

"But-"

"No buts, Elphie. Argue about whatever needs arguing, but stop dredging up old problems. It just makes him think you don't trust him."

"But how can I!?" she exploded. "We have four children under the age of ten, that need constant attending to. Am I to do it all myself? Clearly, I have to, since he can't even spend one day watching them!"

"I know Elphie. And you have the right to be mad. But be mad about the incident in the kitchen- not what happened over fifteen years, back at Shiz."

"I hate to say it, but you're probably right."

"Probably?"

"Okay, you are right. Just this once. I have a reputation to maintain around here!" she joked.

"Alrighty! He probably still has more cooling off to do. In the meantime why don't you go upstairs and talk to the kids, make sure they know that everything is alright and you're not mad at them. I'll go check on the baby. How's that sound?"

"Alright. I'm sure Aizelynne will be thrilled to see her godmother."

With that, the two women made their way upstairs, Glinda heading to the room of the newest member of the Tiggular family, and Elphaba to Azriel's room. She wanted to explain to her eight-year-old daughter that she was not in trouble.

Elphaba was shocked to find Fiyero sitting there, holding their sobbing daughter in his lap.

"Fiyero! When did you- how did you...?"

"I came in the back door so I had some more time to think. I came up here to talk to Azriel. I didn't want her thinking this was her fault."

"But it is!" the little girl cried. "You two wouldn't be fighting if it weren't for me and these stupid powers!"

"Baby," Elphaba cooed, going over to her second oldest and wrapping her arms around the girl. "Mommies and daddies fight sometimes. You can't control that. We love you and we want you to know that this is NOT your fault. Mommy can fix that hole right up with her magic. It'll just take some time for you to get used to yours."

"What if I NEVER get used to mine!? I wish it would just go away!"

"Oh, Azriel, I promise you'll get used to it. Maybe not today, maybe not in a year, but one day-" she put her index finger under Azriel's chin, forcing her to look at her, "you'll be as strong and powerful as I am. And this will all just be a distant memory."

"Really, mom? You think so?"

"I know so."

Fiyero and Elphaba just sat there, holding their daughter, until she fell asleep. They both knew their conversation was far from over, but for now, everything was quiet, and Elphaba silently vowed to focus on one day at a time, and stop bringing up old demons.

**I can't seem to find the link to insert page breaks anymore? So that's new. Anyway's, how'd you guys like the new chapter? The more reviews I get, the faster I'll post the next chapter, which thankfully is already written! So drop a line! Thanks for sticking with me!**


	7. Don't Ask Questions

**Back again with the first chapter of 2016! I'm hoping to write at least one chapter a month, hopefully more. Without further ado, here's "Don't ask questions you don't want the answers to."**

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"Fiyero, how many women have you slept with?"

Fiyero sighed deeply before rolling over to face his fiancée. She was sitting up in bed, patiently awaiting his answer, with the book she had been reading closed, bookmarked, and propped against her knees.

"Elphaba, you know you don't really want to know the answer to that."

"I do, Fiyero," she told him earnestly, her brow furrowing. "The book says that the air must be clear before a couple is married. Or else the marriage is forged on lies, and is doomed from the start."

"Fae," he said, sitting up in order to be eye-level with her. "Have you ever considered that perhaps books can be wrong?"

"Of course I have," she scoffed at him. "I've read enough books to know rubbish when I see it. But this isn't one of those times. Stop avoiding the question and answer me."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, buying time to think of the right thing to say that wouldn't start a fight. All he really wants to do is pull her into him, sooth away her worries with sweet nothings, and curl up in bed with her in his arms. But he knows Elphaba well enough to know that she won't let this drop that easily.

"I'm all for clearing the air, Fae. But this isn't something that will clear the air. This will only create more smoke."

"Where there's smoke there's fire, Fiyero," she said pointedly.

"Fae, the only answer that will make you happy will be if I say I've slept with no one other than you. Which you know is not true, and will result in more lies, which is exactly what you wish to avoid."

She averted her piercing eyes for a moment, but he knew that only meant she was thinking further about how to proceed.

She continued without looking at him. "Okay, fine. Don't tell me. I'm sure it will stop nagging at me eventually. But I need you to answer one thing for me. And I need the truth, Fiyero, no matter how much it may hurt me."

He waited anxiously for her to pose the question. She put the book on the bedside table, removed her reading glasses, and turned to look directly at him. "The truth, you hear me?" He nodded his head in agreement, and waited for her to continue.

"Did you ever sleep with Glinda?"

He was shell-shocked. "OF COURSE NOT!" he immediately answered her. "I'm shocked you'd even ask such a thing!"

"We're engaged to be married, and we've slept together. You were engaged to Glinda too, it was only reasonable to assume-"

"Assume nothing!" He cried, indignant. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "I'm sorry. You're right." She snorted. She was always right. "It was a reasonable question to ask."

Sensing that there was more to his outburst, she waited.

"Let me make this clear for you, Fae. Ever since that day with the lion cub, I had eyes only for you. It was just... you disappeared so soon after that, and Glinda needed someone to support her, and I just didn't have the heart to leave her when we were both so distressed, with worry for you. But I never would have slept with her, given the way I felt about you."

She blushed considerably. "I guess I should have known that."

"So much knowledge in that brain of yours, but very little sense," he gently ribbed her.

"Hey! I have more than enough sense for the both of us, thank Oz."

"Indeed you do, my love," he told her, kissing the tip of her nose. He took her hands in his. "Listen. I've got a past, and so do you. I'm sure there are things about your childhood, or things from your time on the run, that you'd rather keep me in the dark about." She flicked her eyes away from his briefly, confirming his suspicion. He continued, "And that's okay. We've both got skeletons in the closet. What matters is that we're truthful with each other from this point forward, in order to make our relationship stronger."

"For someone who was brainless for a rather lengthy period of time, you seem to be very apt at making things okay."

"What can I say, I've always been charming, brainless or not." She chuckled. "Let's go to bed, shall we?"

"Sounds perfect," she answered, leaning over to turn off the bedside lamp. She then snuggled into his arms and fell soundly asleep, content in the knowledge that it didn't matter who he had been with in the past, but who he was with now.

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